Research that was presented June 7 during the annual meeting of Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists indicates that individuals with anxiety disorders may be at increased risk of also suffering from an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder.

A June 7 article on the Medical News Today website provided the following details about the connection between anxiety and eating disorders:

Dr Lynne Drummond, a consultant psychiatrist at South West London and St George's NHS Mental Health Trust, collected data from a sample of patients with severe OCD who were referred to a specialist unit for treatment. A control group of patients with other anxiety disorders referred for treatment to the same unit was also studied.

The study found that a fifth of the patients with OCD also had signs of disordered eating. The prevalance for those with other anxiety disorders was one in three.

The Medical News Today article reported that Dr. Drummond's presentation included a call for additional research into the prevalence of eating disorders among patients with OCD and other anxiety disorders.

"Although there have been several studies examining the prevalence of OCD and obsessive symptoms in patients with eating disorders," Dr. Drummond said, "there is a dearth of studies where patients with OCD and other anxiety disorders are examined for eating disorders."

Labels: anxiety, research, eating disorders

Posted By: Aspen/CRC